1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to form images on recording media by using an electrophotographic image forming process. Examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (such as laser beam printer and LED printer), a facsimile machine, and a word processor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, in image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, there has been known a process cartridge system in which drums and developing units each housing a developing roller to affect the corresponding drums and each containing developer (toner) to be used for image formation are integrated with each other. Further, there has also been known a developing cartridge system in which the cartridge has only the developing units independently of the drums. Those cartridge systems allow users themselves to perform maintenance of the image forming apparatus without service engineers. Thus, those cartridge systems have been widely used in image forming apparatus.
Further, there has also been known a configuration in which a cartridge tray movable while supporting cartridges is arranged, and this cartridge tray is pulled out from an inside of a main body of the image forming apparatus so that an operation of replacing various cartridges can be performed. This configuration allows users to easily replace the process cartridges or the developing cartridges.
There have been proposed various configurations for suppressing scattering of toner or damage to components in the image forming apparatus including the cartridge tray, which may be caused by mounting the cartridge tray with a significant force (hereinafter referred to as “forceful mounting”).
For example, there has been proposed a configuration in which a frictional force imparting member is fixed in a main body of the image forming apparatus and brought into contact with the moving cartridge tray so that the force of the cartridge tray is reduced (FIG. 9 in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-185830).
However, in the case where the frictional force imparting member is provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus, the cartridge tray cannot be sufficiently decelerated. As a result, the scattering of toner and the damage to components may not be sufficiently suppressed.
In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, there have been demands to sufficiently suppress the scattering of toner and the damage to components, which may be caused by forceful mounting of a cartridge tray, with a simple configuration.